Finding My Stride in Life

I can't say if I'm a dog person or a cat person...

When I was, very young and long time ago in a yellowed memory reel, I had a pet dog and I named her Princess. What was her breed? I don't know and neither did the people looking for a place for her to live. She was a black dog, and I remember how glossy her coat was. She was the envy of the neighborhood and she was stolen within the month of us owning her. I was pretty heartbroken and from that point onward, I leaned more toward cats. I could keep a cat inside the house, where they could stay safe and not get nabbed by animal nappers.

Our first cat was a runt I named Tasjha. She was all white with sparkling blue eyes and the most gorgeous coat. She was a vision and she seemed to know it. I treated her like a baby, carrying her with me in a baby blanket most days, until the fateful evening when we were moving from our home and we had an overnight in a non-animal lover's home. She had to stay in the garage and someone opened the garage door, unwittingly and she escaped, never to return to my blanket again. I was inconsolable until another small runt-like kitten I named Tahiti ( I was always dreaming of far away places) mewed up at me in the backyard. Again, I brought her indoors and she became the family pet.

For many years, even once I moved out and got married, we only had cats for pets. In our early days of marriage, we had a total of seven cats running around the house at one time. I now realize how excessive this sounds and is, but when I was younger, it seemed completely normal. I doubly realize the love my husband had and still has for me in order to agree to such an arrangement. I digress though.

We moved several times and always a cat was in our home, until Cinnabon, our Shih Tzu arrived. The most cuddly ball of fur I had ever seen and personality for days. Our son was not happy to see a dog in the house since he'd been raised on cats alone. Cinnabon was a lovable yet particular and time consuming as a child. I had the responsibility of caring for him along with caring for our daughter, and it proved too much for me. I had to make a hard decision but it worked out well in the end. While in school, I was able to post a note on the campus billboard for someone looking for a ShihTzu with all his shots and flea free, at no cost. Several people replied and we were able to gift him to a family with young children around 9 and 12 to help their mom with caring for him. Oh, and did I mention they owned 2 other Shih Tzu's of their own and were used to their high standing culinary tastes? It was so hard to give him away, and my daughter still brings him up from time to time. I still consider him my dog but I know this was the best thing to do with my working on my master's degree and all at the time.

So, I cannot say that I am a dog person or a cat person because I love them both dearly and would take  either again as pets, if my nerves will let me.

The Tale of Coco Adore:
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